Ford's 2010 Fusion, Mercury Milan Hybrids Get Electric Power and Gas Economy

Ford's 2010 Fusion, Mercury Milan Hybrids Get Electric Power and Gas Economy

Ford's newest hybrids will be able to outpace the competition in a test of all-electric operation as they'll come with a battery-pack and power management system that will enable them to hit speeds of up to 47 miles an hour without cranking over their internal combustion engines, the company says.

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The 2010 Fusion hybrid will look a lot like this Ford image of a conventional 2010 Fusion Sport model, but with special badging and a world of difference under the hood.

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That's an 18 percent improvement over the 40 mph top electric speed of the company's present hybrids, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner gas-electric SUVs and beats Toyota's Prius by 12 percent, or 5 miles an hour.

The new hybrids, to be launched in the first quarter of 2009 as 2010 models, also are expected to deliver up to 700 miles of city driving on a single tank of gas, Ford said. The company didn't specify the size of the hybrids' fuel tanks, but it uses a 17.5-gallon tank in the conventionally powered models

The automaker unveiled details of the upcoming 2010 Fusion hybrid and 2010 Milan hybrid sedans in a press conference today at its headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

In addition to the all-electric top speed (which beats Toyota's Prius by about 15 miles an hour), features include a 2.5-liter, 155-horsepower four-cylinder gas engine coupled to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT).  (At least for year one, the new hybrids won't get the new turbocharged, direct-injection,1.6-liter Eco-Boost engine that Ford recently announced it will be building in Europe.)

Ford's next-generation hybrid system boasts new, lightweight nickel-metal hydride batteries with 20 percent more power output than the batteries in the company's Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrid SUVs.

Ford says the new cars should achieve an EPA fuel economy rating that's at least 5 miles a gallon better in city driving and 2 miles per gallon better on the highway than that awarded the comparably sized Toyota Camry hybrid.

That would put the 2010 Fusion and Milan hybrids at about 38 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, with combined mileage of about 37 miles per gallon.

The new cars will double Ford's hybrid lineup and will let the carmaker - long silent about its green vehicle plans -- boast that it can offer "better range of travel on battery power at a greater speed, thanks to a more efficient, seamless transition between the battery-powered motor and gasoline-driven engine," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president for Global Product Development.

Other features of the new hybrids include a regenerative braking system that captures 94 percent of the vehicles' braking energy and electric power steering and an air conditioning compressor to reduce parasitic drag on the gas engine.

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.